Phoenix New Times owner Jim Larkin discussed the pardon of former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Sheriff Arpaio held this office for 24 years. Many people considered him to be one of the worst law enforcement officials within the state of Arizona.

He was convicted in July 2017 for contempt of court regarding racial profiling practices. His office was ordered by a judge to cease from performing this type of practice but Arpaio continued to run his office using this unlawful tactic.

In November of 2017, Jim Larkin provided some input about this matter. He personally knew about Joe Arpaio’s corruption since he was a former victim of this man’s wrongdoing. In 2007, Jim Larkin and his Phoenix New Times co-owner, Michael Lacey were both illegally imprisoned by Sheriff Arpaio. The sheriff had them locked up because they exposed his illegal activities to the public through their newspaper.

Eventually, an Arizona court agreed that Larkin and Lacey were both illegally detained. Ultimately, they awarded the men a huge settlement. Larkin and Lacey used most of this money to start the Frontera Fund. This monetary benefit helps to fund migrant, immigration and civil rights organizations.

Jim Larkin was not happy about Sheriff Arpaio’s pardon by Donald Trump. He did not like the fact that Arpaio used his pull with the president to get away with illegal activity. Larkin pointed out that Sheriff Arpaio aligned himself with Donald Trump when he first announced his bid for president. Somehow Sheriff Arpaio knew that Trump was going to win this job.

The former Arizona lawman went out of his way to support Trump. He did this back in 2016 and continued to provide support after Trump’s election. After President Trump took office, the sheriff appealed to him for aid during his time of crisis. President Trump gave him a pardon and many people were upset behind this decision. Read more: Village Voice Media | Wikipedia and Jim Larkin | Angel.co

Sources confirm that Sheriff Arpaio was a dishonest sheriff. He ran an illegal prison camp back in 1993. Some sources claim that he called this camp “his personal concentration camp”. The jails that were operated by Arpaio was filled with death, corruption and abuse. People not only lost their lives in Arpaio’s facilities, they were also mutilated and mangled. The sheriff was even known for racial profiling and his strong ill-will toward illegal immigrants.

Jim Larkin doesn’t agree with Trump’s pardon of Arpaio. He sees it as a smart political move by the former sheriff. Arpaio is no longer in office but he still can influence law enforcement practices in Maricopa County.